Politics

US reaffirms diplomatic commitment to North Korea’s disarmament

Seoul, Jul 22 (EFE).- The United States deputy secretary of state on Thursday renewed the US government’s commitment to dialog and diplomacy to achieve the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

Wendy Sherman was speaking in a brief meeting with South Korean Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong in Seoul.

Both “reaffirmed the goal of achieving the complete denuclearization and permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula, which was affirmed by the leaders of the two countries at the time of the Korea-US summit,” the South Korean foreign ministry in a statement.

A summit was held between the South Korean and US presidents, Moon Jae-in and Joe Biden respectively, in Washington in May.

“While sharing an understanding that diplomacy and dialog are essential in achieving the goal, [the two sides] also agreed to continue close cooperation at every level to bring North Korea to the dialog table,” the ministry added.

Sherman’s trip comes at a time when North Korea, engaged in dealing with the pandemic and its economic impact, recently refused to resume talks that have been stalled since 2019.

Sherman’s tour of the region also seeks to strengthen communication with the US’ allies in East Asia, weakened by the previous US administration.

On Wednesday, the US deputy of state met her South Korean and Japanese counterparts, Takeo Mori and Choi Jong-kun, in Tokyo in the first trilateral meeting of its kind since 2017.

The three reaffirmed their intention to work in cooperation to achieve Pyongyang’s disarmament, a matter that Sherman and Choi are expected to continue discussing during a bilateral meeting in Seoul on Friday.

During the trilateral meeting in Tokyo, the three officials also expressed concern about China’s assertiveness in the region.

On Wednesday, the US Department of State announced that Sherman will visit China between July 25 and 26, where she will meet Foreign Minister Wang Yi and other officials following a three-day visit to Mongolia after her departure from Seoul on Friday. EFE

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